Secret Service probes Obama photo

A picture of a group of young men carrying guns and holding up a T-shirt featuring President Barack Obama’s face covered in what appear to be bullet holes posted on Facebook has attracted the attention of the Secret Service.

“Any time information such as this is brought to our attention, where an individual or a group expresses unusual direction of interest in one of our protectees, we conduct appropriate follow-up,” Max Milien, a spokesman for the Secret Service, told POLITICO on Friday afternoon. “This posting falls into that category. We’ll conduct the appropriate follow-up measures on this.”

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At least one of the men in the picture has been identified as a student at Centennial High School in Peoria, Ariz., according to The New York Times, which reported the incident earlier Friday.

“This is not a common situation. So while there is no set protocol for this specific incident, all of that will be determined after the investigation,” Danielle Airey, a spokeswoman for the Peoria Unified School District, told POLITICO.

Airey said she could not verify whether any of the other students in the picture are members of Centennial High School’s student body. And as of Friday, the school also could not comment on any disciplinary action, if any, that might be taken at a later time, especially as the incident didn’t occur on campus.

“We are cooperating with local and federal authorities with their investigation,” she said.

The photograph was allegedly taken by Peoria police officer Sgt. Pat Shearer, who posted the picture on his Facebook page a week ago. It has since been removed from his profile page.

“I don’t think that the shooting of that T-shirt is that big of a deal,” Shearer told ABC15. “It was more of a political statement.”

Jay Davies, a spokesman for the Peoria Police Department, said Shearer is a 25-year veteran of the department who serves in the patrol services bureau in the northern precinct. The department was made aware of the photo Thursday afternoon, but as of Friday, Shearer had not been placed on any type of administrative leave, Davies said.

“Once administrative investigation is launched, we are bound by law and cannot discuss the details of the investigation,” Davies told POLITICO, offering no further details.

Milien said Friday that the Secret Service respects the right to freedom of speech and expression, but that it also has the right to speak to the individuals involved to “determine their intent.”

He did not comment further on details of the investigation such as when the picture was brought to the Secret Service’s attention or which individuals they have spoken to as part of the probe.